What brought you to UC Merced?
The opportunity to have a faculty position that focused primarily on teaching while also being able to teach a variety of public health courses. I was also excited to work with the passionate and eager students I heard so much about in my interviews.
What are your current projects?
I just submitted a paper on students’ self-efficacy for writing. I measured their self-efficacy for writing before and after my writing-intensive health communication class and held focus groups to investigate the factors that affected their SE.
I am also conducting a study on the Public Health Pathways LLC in order to see how the LLC affects the students’ sense of belonging and academic success.
What classes will you be teaching this year?
This semester, I am teaching Health Promotion (PH 102), Health Communication (PH 103), Personal and Community Health (PH 116), and Introduction to Undergraduate Studies (USTU 010, a seminar for the LLC cohort). Next semester, I will again teach Health Promotion, Health Communication, and Introduction to Undergraduate Studies.
What are you excited to explore or learn more about this year?
I am excited to learn more about the assessment and program review process and to identify methods for improving our undergraduate program for students.
Who is someone who inspires you?
As Snoop Dogg said, “I want to thank me. I want to thank me for believing in me. I want to thank me for doing all of this hard work.”
